Maury Capitol Hill

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this going to have the effect of displacing some OOB students from Miner? What is the equity impact of that?

If you're wondering who DGAF about Miner, it's the DME and DCPS.

Good question. If the cluster actually was successful, you’d expect to see demographics change fairly quickly. There is a lot of cheaper RE in the Miner zone, and if EH continues on its current path, a small house in Rosedale or Kingman Park could be a 15-year plan for a lot of families. And then of course Miner would be accused of “gentrifying” and being too white, the well-known double bind.

That said, with three public housing projects, there is always going to be more at-risk kids than in the Maury zone. Honestly would probably be better to just gerrymander the boundaries than cluster … DME’s claim that they can’t do that does not make sense.

[Anonymous]

Combining Maury and Miner won't make it Maury as many keep hypothesizing.

Well, it'll make it Maury's 5th grade, I guess.

There will be an initial exit of people who are pissed off -- and yes that includes diminished home values (hate to say it but ignoring that fact is not reality). There will be people that try it for a year, then exit.

Wishing this won't happen won't make it so. And once it's done, it'll be impossible to reverse.

[Anonymous]

Maury parent here. I too have been dismayed at some of the comments from parents in our school community. I am not excusing any of it, but I do want to remind people that the most outspoken are not always indicative of the community at large. They're just the loudest and most obnoxious.

I am not inherently opposed to the cluster. Frankly, I am awaiting some data, evidence and support that this is a good idea for BOTH Miner and Maury students. At this point, no one seems able to answer critical logistical questions that will have profound impacts on both communities. It's baffling that a recommendation is this close to being given to the Mayor without any of the details of the execution ironed out.

One of my main concerns is the huge increase in school populations that will result in approximately 8 classrooms per grade. No one seems to be talking about this. Both schools will completely lose the school community feel and opportunity to get to know families and children well through the years, which I believe is essential to school success and support. Children will often have to make entirely new friends year after year, because it is likely they will only know a few kids in their classes. This model would make our children's elementary school larger than a lot of high schools and even some small colleges.

Additional questions I believe both school communities need answers to in order to make informed opinions:

Does the current Capitol Hill Cluster school demonstrate the success desired? Why or why not and how is that model different?

How would Miner-Maury cluster school success be measured? Socio-economic and racial equity? Test scores? Achievement? Attendance? IB students enrolled? All of the above and more?

Where is the data on what impact the change to a cluster school would have on both Miner and Maury enrollment?

What impact will a cluster have on school funding?

What will happen to resources like Think Tank and PTA funded TAs currently at Maury? (recognizing that PTA funded resources like this are inherently unfair as well)

What will happen to Miner’s Title 1 status?

What impact would a combined cluster have on universal free school lunch or aftercare currently offered at Miner?

What are the physical building logistics? Neither school is currently equipped to fully accommodate just Pre-K students or just upper-grade students. What kind of timeline would be needed for renovations and reconfiguration? What would happen to the schools in their current state while those renovations are undertaken? Would kids be disrupted multiple times and moved out of the buildings during that process?

What does the Miner community have to say about this proposed change?

Will all classes be mixed ability levels or will there be any class leveling? Combining schools with such varying proficiency levels will have profound impacts on students on both ends of the spectrum. How do you plan to ensure students who are struggling do not fall even further behind and students who are achieving at or above grade level don’t stagnate?

Is this the only recommendation being made to address the Miner-specific concerns or are there other ideas being proposed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why no one considered the impact of the cluster on potential buy-in from the Miner side. If the cluster goes through, many Miner families that would have planned to move or lottery out will instead stay IB. That would in turn help maintain an academically enriched environment for the Maury side while including more disadvantaged kids too. This could trickle up to E-H with the combination of Maury and Miner kids - as more of those higher performing kids will strike out in the lottery and go there for MS. That’s how I see it. It’s been pretty clearly through this thread and with how the plan has been discussed that the Miner view point has been completely ignored and dismissed. There are 2 schools involved here, not one.

What makes you think that when matriculation from Peabody to Watkins is so poor?

I'm not a Miner parent, but if I were, I would seriously hate this commute. I would much rather have the DME make improvements to Miner such that more people want to attend. Is this just a problem of residential segregation, or is it also a disparity due to Miner's poor IB capture rate?

Miner inbound parent, MC, here: for what it is worth I would love the commute to Minor and Maury-we walk past these schools nearly daily anyways. Also, I would keep my child in-bound if the schools were combined and while the information has not been formally shared with the Miner inbound community, many parents in the same situation I am in feel the same.

I have always hoped my kids would get the chance to go to Maury-but after reading this thread and hearing the opinions of Maury families during the DME meetings, my sentiments are changing. I am sad that this is how my neighbors talk about the children in their neighborhood and community. The entitlement is frankly outrageous and just snobbish. To the poster worried if you combine schools “Our homes won’t fetch top dollar”: let me remind you-this is about children and not home values!!!

Many if not most Miner families have to drive out of my neighborhood for school (which pointed out by another poster on this thread is tragic for in bound Maury, but acceptable for Miner inbound). If Miner got the community/family support that other schools receive, the school would be a much better place, but unfortunately it does not.
That being said: We as a community can be better! We can combine these children and create an inclusive, nurturing, and educational environment that is more equitable for our community.

Why doesn't Miner have the community/family support that other schools receive? If many if not most Miner families are driving out of the neighborhood to get their kids to school, obviously they are committing time and money to prioritize schooling. Why aren't people putting that time and money towards Miner?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why no one considered the impact of the cluster on potential buy-in from the Miner side. If the cluster goes through, many Miner families that would have planned to move or lottery out will instead stay IB. That would in turn help maintain an academically enriched environment for the Maury side while including more disadvantaged kids too. This could trickle up to E-H with the combination of Maury and Miner kids - as more of those higher performing kids will strike out in the lottery and go there for MS. That’s how I see it. It’s been pretty clearly through this thread and with how the plan has been discussed that the Miner view point has been completely ignored and dismissed. There are 2 schools involved here, not one.

What makes you think that when matriculation from Peabody to Watkins is so poor?

I'm not a Miner parent, but if I were, I would seriously hate this commute. I would much rather have the DME make improvements to Miner such that more people want to attend. Is this just a problem of residential segregation, or is it also a disparity due to Miner's poor IB capture rate?

Miner inbound parent, MC, here: for what it is worth I would love the commute to Minor and Maury-we walk past these schools nearly daily anyways. Also, I would keep my child in-bound if the schools were combined and while the information has not been formally shared with the Miner inbound community, many parents in the same situation I am in feel the same.

I have always hoped my kids would get the chance to go to Maury-but after reading this thread and hearing the opinions of Maury families during the DME meetings, my sentiments are changing. I am sad that this is how my neighbors talk about the children in their neighborhood and community. The entitlement is frankly outrageous and just snobbish. To the poster worried if you combine schools “Our homes won’t fetch top dollar”: let me remind you-this is about children and not home values!!!

Many if not most Miner families have to drive out of my neighborhood for school (which pointed out by another poster on this thread is tragic for in bound Maury, but acceptable for Miner inbound). If Miner got the community/family support that other schools receive, the school would be a much better place, but unfortunately it does not.
That being said: We as a community can be better! We can combine these children and create an inclusive, nurturing, and educational environment that is more equitable for our community.

I think this is unfair. I have heard overwhelming sentiment from Maury parents, both in person and on this thread, very supportive of DC giving Miner the resources it needs to get on track (not least a stable administration and strong principal), and absolutely no one saying it's okay for Miner families to have to do X but not Maury families.

We disagree on the merits. Among other things, I think this would hurt enrollment of MC and upper MC kids, at least on the Maury side, and that that would have serious negative follow-on effects for EH, which already lags SH.

I also think the cluster model--irrespective of what schools are paired--would make for a materially worse school environment/community for my kids and family. I love having whole school morning meetings where my kid gets to see a bit of what's in store for him as an older student, I love going in to help out and to class events where I can hit both my kids' classrooms with one trip (and for that matter, love dropping them off at and picking them up from the same place, and I love that there is strong grade-wide community because the normal school size makes it possible to get to know almost everyone in their grade (and ditto with families). We deliberately did not move into the Peabody/Watkins boundary to avoid a cluster model -- and that is a much smaller combined population. And I think fundamentally restructuring the school experience will detract a ton from what is good and working at Maury now. It won't be Maury-for-All, but Maury-for-None.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maury parent here. I too have been dismayed at some of the comments from parents in our school community. I am not excusing any of it, but I do want to remind people that the most outspoken are not always indicative of the community at large. They're just the loudest and most obnoxious.

I am not inherently opposed to the cluster. Frankly, I am awaiting some data, evidence and support that this is a good idea for BOTH Miner and Maury students. At this point, no one seems able to answer critical logistical questions that will have profound impacts on both communities. It's baffling that a recommendation is this close to being given to the Mayor without any of the details of the execution ironed out.

One of my main concerns is the huge increase in school populations that will result in approximately 8 classrooms per grade. No one seems to be talking about this. Both schools will completely lose the school community feel and opportunity to get to know families and children well through the years, which I believe is essential to school success and support. Children will often have to make entirely new friends year after year, because it is likely they will only know a few kids in their classes. This model would make our children's elementary school larger than a lot of high schools and even some small colleges.

Additional questions I believe both school communities need answers to in order to make informed opinions:

Does the current Capitol Hill Cluster school demonstrate the success desired? Why or why not and how is that model different?

How would Miner-Maury cluster school success be measured? Socio-economic and racial equity? Test scores? Achievement? Attendance? IB students enrolled? All of the above and more?

Where is the data on what impact the change to a cluster school would have on both Miner and Maury enrollment?

What impact will a cluster have on school funding?

What will happen to resources like Think Tank and PTA funded TAs currently at Maury? (recognizing that PTA funded resources like this are inherently unfair as well)

What will happen to Miner’s Title 1 status?

What impact would a combined cluster have on universal free school lunch or aftercare currently offered at Miner?

What are the physical building logistics? Neither school is currently equipped to fully accommodate just Pre-K students or just upper-grade students. What kind of timeline would be needed for renovations and reconfiguration? What would happen to the schools in their current state while those renovations are undertaken? Would kids be disrupted multiple times and moved out of the buildings during that process?

What does the Miner community have to say about this proposed change?

Will all classes be mixed ability levels or will there be any class leveling? Combining schools with such varying proficiency levels will have profound impacts on students on both ends of the spectrum. How do you plan to ensure students who are struggling do not fall even further behind and students who are achieving at or above grade level don’t stagnate?

Is this the only recommendation being made to address the Miner-specific concerns or are there other ideas being proposed?

So you’re “dismayed” at fellow parents, but then go on to list the exact same concerns everyone has been raising? Lol. This is very “Maury.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why no one considered the impact of the cluster on potential buy-in from the Miner side. If the cluster goes through, many Miner families that would have planned to move or lottery out will instead stay IB. That would in turn help maintain an academically enriched environment for the Maury side while including more disadvantaged kids too. This could trickle up to E-H with the combination of Maury and Miner kids - as more of those higher performing kids will strike out in the lottery and go there for MS. That’s how I see it. It’s been pretty clearly through this thread and with how the plan has been discussed that the Miner view point has been completely ignored and dismissed. There are 2 schools involved here, not one.

What makes you think that when matriculation from Peabody to Watkins is so poor?

I'm not a Miner parent, but if I were, I would seriously hate this commute. I would much rather have the DME make improvements to Miner such that more people want to attend. Is this just a problem of residential segregation, or is it also a disparity due to Miner's poor IB capture rate?

Miner inbound parent, MC, here: for what it is worth I would love the commute to Minor and Maury-we walk past these schools nearly daily anyways. Also, I would keep my child in-bound if the schools were combined and while the information has not been formally shared with the Miner inbound community, many parents in the same situation I am in feel the same.

I have always hoped my kids would get the chance to go to Maury-but after reading this thread and hearing the opinions of Maury families during the DME meetings, my sentiments are changing. I am sad that this is how my neighbors talk about the children in their neighborhood and community. The entitlement is frankly outrageous and just snobbish. To the poster worried if you combine schools “Our homes won’t fetch top dollar”: let me remind you-this is about children and not home values!!!

Many if not most Miner families have to drive out of my neighborhood for school (which pointed out by another poster on this thread is tragic for in bound Maury, but acceptable for Miner inbound). If Miner got the community/family support that other schools receive, the school would be a much better place, but unfortunately it does not.
That being said: We as a community can be better! We can combine these children and create an inclusive, nurturing, and educational environment that is more equitable for our community.

Another parent here in-bounds for Miner, though my kids are now in HS: totally agree with this. I always thought Maury would have been the ideal school for our kids, and I put it first on the lottery form way back in 2010. We didn’t get in, of course. The way people are taking on here as if their precious school will be infected by Miner kids is gross. Miner and Maury are so close together that a cluster makes much more sense than Peabody/Watkins. Also, don’t pretend that Miner families would be inconvenienced by the “commute.” Lots of Miner families have a shorter walk to Maury than to Miner, my own family included. And for pretty much everyone else, it’s a toss-up.

Thank you, yep. Why are Maury parents declaring that Miner parents do not want to trek the extra few blocks to Maury for the upper grades. The entire discussion from the Maury community is disgusting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why no one considered the impact of the cluster on potential buy-in from the Miner side. If the cluster goes through, many Miner families that would have planned to move or lottery out will instead stay IB. That would in turn help maintain an academically enriched environment for the Maury side while including more disadvantaged kids too. This could trickle up to E-H with the combination of Maury and Miner kids - as more of those higher performing kids will strike out in the lottery and go there for MS. That’s how I see it. It’s been pretty clearly through this thread and with how the plan has been discussed that the Miner view point has been completely ignored and dismissed. There are 2 schools involved here, not one.

What makes you think that when matriculation from Peabody to Watkins is so poor?

I'm not a Miner parent, but if I were, I would seriously hate this commute. I would much rather have the DME make improvements to Miner such that more people want to attend. Is this just a problem of residential segregation, or is it also a disparity due to Miner's poor IB capture rate?

Miner inbound parent, MC, here: for what it is worth I would love the commute to Minor and Maury-we walk past these schools nearly daily anyways. Also, I would keep my child in-bound if the schools were combined and while the information has not been formally shared with the Miner inbound community, many parents in the same situation I am in feel the same.

I have always hoped my kids would get the chance to go to Maury-but after reading this thread and hearing the opinions of Maury families during the DME meetings, my sentiments are changing. I am sad that this is how my neighbors talk about the children in their neighborhood and community. The entitlement is frankly outrageous and just snobbish. To the poster worried if you combine schools “Our homes won’t fetch top dollar”: let me remind you-this is about children and not home values!!!

Many if not most Miner families have to drive out of my neighborhood for school (which pointed out by another poster on this thread is tragic for in bound Maury, but acceptable for Miner inbound). If Miner got the community/family support that other schools receive, the school would be a much better place, but unfortunately it does not.
That being said: We as a community can be better! We can combine these children and create an inclusive, nurturing, and educational environment that is more equitable for our community.

Another parent here in-bounds for Miner, though my kids are now in HS: totally agree with this. I always thought Maury would have been the ideal school for our kids, and I put it first on the lottery form way back in 2010. We didn’t get in, of course. The way people are taking on here as if their precious school will be infected by Miner kids is gross. Miner and Maury are so close together that a cluster makes much more sense than Peabody/Watkins. Also, don’t pretend that Miner families would be inconvenienced by the “commute.” Lots of Miner families have a shorter walk to Maury than to Miner, my own family included. And for pretty much everyone else, it’s a toss-up.

Thank you, yep. Why are Maury parents declaring that Miner parents do not want to trek the extra few blocks to Maury for the upper grades. The entire discussion from the Maury community is disgusting.

Lol. Let me get this straight. You are IB for Miner, lotteried for Maury, didn’t get in, and refuse to send your kid to Miner. Yet somehow Maury parents are in the wrong for not wanting to send their kids to Miner?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maury parent here. I too have been dismayed at some of the comments from parents in our school community. I am not excusing any of it, but I do want to remind people that the most outspoken are not always indicative of the community at large. They're just the loudest and most obnoxious.

I am not inherently opposed to the cluster. Frankly, I am awaiting some data, evidence and support that this is a good idea for BOTH Miner and Maury students. At this point, no one seems able to answer critical logistical questions that will have profound impacts on both communities. It's baffling that a recommendation is this close to being given to the Mayor without any of the details of the execution ironed out.

One of my main concerns is the huge increase in school populations that will result in approximately 8 classrooms per grade. No one seems to be talking about this. Both schools will completely lose the school community feel and opportunity to get to know families and children well through the years, which I believe is essential to school success and support. Children will often have to make entirely new friends year after year, because it is likely they will only know a few kids in their classes. This model would make our children's elementary school larger than a lot of high schools and even some small colleges.

Additional questions I believe both school communities need answers to in order to make informed opinions:

Does the current Capitol Hill Cluster school demonstrate the success desired? Why or why not and how is that model different?

How would Miner-Maury cluster school success be measured? Socio-economic and racial equity? Test scores? Achievement? Attendance? IB students enrolled? All of the above and more?

Where is the data on what impact the change to a cluster school would have on both Miner and Maury enrollment?

What impact will a cluster have on school funding?

What will happen to resources like Think Tank and PTA funded TAs currently at Maury? (recognizing that PTA funded resources like this are inherently unfair as well)

What will happen to Miner’s Title 1 status?

What impact would a combined cluster have on universal free school lunch or aftercare currently offered at Miner?

What are the physical building logistics? Neither school is currently equipped to fully accommodate just Pre-K students or just upper-grade students. What kind of timeline would be needed for renovations and reconfiguration? What would happen to the schools in their current state while those renovations are undertaken? Would kids be disrupted multiple times and moved out of the buildings during that process?

What does the Miner community have to say about this proposed change?

Will all classes be mixed ability levels or will there be any class leveling? Combining schools with such varying proficiency levels will have profound impacts on students on both ends of the spectrum. How do you plan to ensure students who are struggling do not fall even further behind and students who are achieving at or above grade level don’t stagnate?

Is this the only recommendation being made to address the Miner-specific concerns or are there other ideas being proposed?

So you’re “dismayed” at fellow parents, but then go on to list the exact same concerns everyone has been raising? Lol. This is very “Maury.”

I can identify at least two topics -- relative crime and home values -- that people have identified as objectionable that this PP has not included. Everything PP listed is a good, objectively reasonable question to my mind. If people are suggesting that any of these are offensive in some way, I think they have left the realm of good faith.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why no one considered the impact of the cluster on potential buy-in from the Miner side. If the cluster goes through, many Miner families that would have planned to move or lottery out will instead stay IB. That would in turn help maintain an academically enriched environment for the Maury side while including more disadvantaged kids too. This could trickle up to E-H with the combination of Maury and Miner kids - as more of those higher performing kids will strike out in the lottery and go there for MS. That’s how I see it. It’s been pretty clearly through this thread and with how the plan has been discussed that the Miner view point has been completely ignored and dismissed. There are 2 schools involved here, not one.

What makes you think that when matriculation from Peabody to Watkins is so poor?

I'm not a Miner parent, but if I were, I would seriously hate this commute. I would much rather have the DME make improvements to Miner such that more people want to attend. Is this just a problem of residential segregation, or is it also a disparity due to Miner's poor IB capture rate?

Miner inbound parent, MC, here: for what it is worth I would love the commute to Minor and Maury-we walk past these schools nearly daily anyways. Also, I would keep my child in-bound if the schools were combined and while the information has not been formally shared with the Miner inbound community, many parents in the same situation I am in feel the same.

I have always hoped my kids would get the chance to go to Maury-but after reading this thread and hearing the opinions of Maury families during the DME meetings, my sentiments are changing. I am sad that this is how my neighbors talk about the children in their neighborhood and community. The entitlement is frankly outrageous and just snobbish. To the poster worried if you combine schools “Our homes won’t fetch top dollar”: let me remind you-this is about children and not home values!!!

Many if not most Miner families have to drive out of my neighborhood for school (which pointed out by another poster on this thread is tragic for in bound Maury, but acceptable for Miner inbound). If Miner got the community/family support that other schools receive, the school would be a much better place, but unfortunately it does not.
That being said: We as a community can be better! We can combine these children and create an inclusive, nurturing, and educational environment that is more equitable for our community.

Another parent here in-bounds for Miner, though my kids are now in HS: totally agree with this. I always thought Maury would have been the ideal school for our kids, and I put it first on the lottery form way back in 2010. We didn’t get in, of course. The way people are taking on here as if their precious school will be infected by Miner kids is gross. Miner and Maury are so close together that a cluster makes much more sense than Peabody/Watkins. Also, don’t pretend that Miner families would be inconvenienced by the “commute.” Lots of Miner families have a shorter walk to Maury than to Miner, my own family included. And for pretty much everyone else, it’s a toss-up.

Thank you, yep. Why are Maury parents declaring that Miner parents do not want to trek the extra few blocks to Maury for the upper grades. The entire discussion from the Maury community is disgusting.

Lol. Let me get this straight. You are IB for Miner, lotteried for Maury, didn’t get in, and refuse to send your kid to Miner. Yet somehow Maury parents are in the wrong for not wanting to send their kids to Miner?

My kids are at Miner. Nice try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maury parent here. I too have been dismayed at some of the comments from parents in our school community. I am not excusing any of it, but I do want to remind people that the most outspoken are not always indicative of the community at large. They're just the loudest and most obnoxious.

I am not inherently opposed to the cluster. Frankly, I am awaiting some data, evidence and support that this is a good idea for BOTH Miner and Maury students. At this point, no one seems able to answer critical logistical questions that will have profound impacts on both communities. It's baffling that a recommendation is this close to being given to the Mayor without any of the details of the execution ironed out.

One of my main concerns is the huge increase in school populations that will result in approximately 8 classrooms per grade. No one seems to be talking about this. Both schools will completely lose the school community feel and opportunity to get to know families and children well through the years, which I believe is essential to school success and support. Children will often have to make entirely new friends year after year, because it is likely they will only know a few kids in their classes. This model would make our children's elementary school larger than a lot of high schools and even some small colleges.

Additional questions I believe both school communities need answers to in order to make informed opinions:

Does the current Capitol Hill Cluster school demonstrate the success desired? Why or why not and how is that model different?

How would Miner-Maury cluster school success be measured? Socio-economic and racial equity? Test scores? Achievement? Attendance? IB students enrolled? All of the above and more?

Where is the data on what impact the change to a cluster school would have on both Miner and Maury enrollment?

What impact will a cluster have on school funding?

What will happen to resources like Think Tank and PTA funded TAs currently at Maury? (recognizing that PTA funded resources like this are inherently unfair as well)

What will happen to Miner’s Title 1 status?

What impact would a combined cluster have on universal free school lunch or aftercare currently offered at Miner?

What are the physical building logistics? Neither school is currently equipped to fully accommodate just Pre-K students or just upper-grade students. What kind of timeline would be needed for renovations and reconfiguration? What would happen to the schools in their current state while those renovations are undertaken? Would kids be disrupted multiple times and moved out of the buildings during that process?

What does the Miner community have to say about this proposed change?

Will all classes be mixed ability levels or will there be any class leveling? Combining schools with such varying proficiency levels will have profound impacts on students on both ends of the spectrum. How do you plan to ensure students who are struggling do not fall even further behind and students who are achieving at or above grade level don’t stagnate?

Is this the only recommendation being made to address the Miner-specific concerns or are there other ideas being proposed?

Some of us are aware that the answers to these questions mean nothing to DCPS. Sorry if you think that’s too mean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why no one considered the impact of the cluster on potential buy-in from the Miner side. If the cluster goes through, many Miner families that would have planned to move or lottery out will instead stay IB. That would in turn help maintain an academically enriched environment for the Maury side while including more disadvantaged kids too. This could trickle up to E-H with the combination of Maury and Miner kids - as more of those higher performing kids will strike out in the lottery and go there for MS. That’s how I see it. It’s been pretty clearly through this thread and with how the plan has been discussed that the Miner view point has been completely ignored and dismissed. There are 2 schools involved here, not one.

What makes you think that when matriculation from Peabody to Watkins is so poor?

I'm not a Miner parent, but if I were, I would seriously hate this commute. I would much rather have the DME make improvements to Miner such that more people want to attend. Is this just a problem of residential segregation, or is it also a disparity due to Miner's poor IB capture rate?

Miner inbound parent, MC, here: for what it is worth I would love the commute to Minor and Maury-we walk past these schools nearly daily anyways. Also, I would keep my child in-bound if the schools were combined and while the information has not been formally shared with the Miner inbound community, many parents in the same situation I am in feel the same.

I have always hoped my kids would get the chance to go to Maury-but after reading this thread and hearing the opinions of Maury families during the DME meetings, my sentiments are changing. I am sad that this is how my neighbors talk about the children in their neighborhood and community. The entitlement is frankly outrageous and just snobbish. To the poster worried if you combine schools “Our homes won’t fetch top dollar”: let me remind you-this is about children and not home values!!!

Many if not most Miner families have to drive out of my neighborhood for school (which pointed out by another poster on this thread is tragic for in bound Maury, but acceptable for Miner inbound). If Miner got the community/family support that other schools receive, the school would be a much better place, but unfortunately it does not.
That being said: We as a community can be better! We can combine these children and create an inclusive, nurturing, and educational environment that is more equitable for our community.

You go OOB because you're not interested in sending your kids to a high-needs, low-performing school. You are avoiding the children of your neighborhood and community because you prioritize your own kids' education. That's fine, but it's the same impulse that leads Maury parents to not want to combine schools -- they also want to avoid the kids you're avoiding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maury parent here. I too have been dismayed at some of the comments from parents in our school community. I am not excusing any of it, but I do want to remind people that the most outspoken are not always indicative of the community at large. They're just the loudest and most obnoxious.

I am not inherently opposed to the cluster. Frankly, I am awaiting some data, evidence and support that this is a good idea for BOTH Miner and Maury students. At this point, no one seems able to answer critical logistical questions that will have profound impacts on both communities. It's baffling that a recommendation is this close to being given to the Mayor without any of the details of the execution ironed out.

One of my main concerns is the huge increase in school populations that will result in approximately 8 classrooms per grade. No one seems to be talking about this. Both schools will completely lose the school community feel and opportunity to get to know families and children well through the years, which I believe is essential to school success and support. Children will often have to make entirely new friends year after year, because it is likely they will only know a few kids in their classes. This model would make our children's elementary school larger than a lot of high schools and even some small colleges.

Additional questions I believe both school communities need answers to in order to make informed opinions:

Does the current Capitol Hill Cluster school demonstrate the success desired? Why or why not and how is that model different?

How would Miner-Maury cluster school success be measured? Socio-economic and racial equity? Test scores? Achievement? Attendance? IB students enrolled? All of the above and more?

Where is the data on what impact the change to a cluster school would have on both Miner and Maury enrollment?

What impact will a cluster have on school funding?

What will happen to resources like Think Tank and PTA funded TAs currently at Maury? (recognizing that PTA funded resources like this are inherently unfair as well)

What will happen to Miner’s Title 1 status?

What impact would a combined cluster have on universal free school lunch or aftercare currently offered at Miner?

What are the physical building logistics? Neither school is currently equipped to fully accommodate just Pre-K students or just upper-grade students. What kind of timeline would be needed for renovations and reconfiguration? What would happen to the schools in their current state while those renovations are undertaken? Would kids be disrupted multiple times and moved out of the buildings during that process?

What does the Miner community have to say about this proposed change?

Will all classes be mixed ability levels or will there be any class leveling? Combining schools with such varying proficiency levels will have profound impacts on students on both ends of the spectrum. How do you plan to ensure students who are struggling do not fall even further behind and students who are achieving at or above grade level don’t stagnate?

Is this the only recommendation being made to address the Miner-specific concerns or are there other ideas being proposed?

So you’re “dismayed” at fellow parents, but then go on to list the exact same concerns everyone has been raising? Lol. This is very “Maury.”

I can identify at least two topics -- relative crime and home values -- that people have identified as objectionable that this PP has not included. Everything PP listed is a good, objectively reasonable question to my mind. If people are suggesting that any of these are offensive in some way, I think they have left the realm of good faith.

Why are those two things so objectionable and apparently taboo to you? You’re living in some kind of la-la land where not speaking about problems that actually DO matter a great deal to people (safety, economics) somehow makes them disappear. It’s unclear to me why some people think it is socially acceptable to fret about “differentiation” and yet not fret about getting shot or losing home equity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why no one considered the impact of the cluster on potential buy-in from the Miner side. If the cluster goes through, many Miner families that would have planned to move or lottery out will instead stay IB. That would in turn help maintain an academically enriched environment for the Maury side while including more disadvantaged kids too. This could trickle up to E-H with the combination of Maury and Miner kids - as more of those higher performing kids will strike out in the lottery and go there for MS. That’s how I see it. It’s been pretty clearly through this thread and with how the plan has been discussed that the Miner view point has been completely ignored and dismissed. There are 2 schools involved here, not one.

What makes you think that when matriculation from Peabody to Watkins is so poor?

I'm not a Miner parent, but if I were, I would seriously hate this commute. I would much rather have the DME make improvements to Miner such that more people want to attend. Is this just a problem of residential segregation, or is it also a disparity due to Miner's poor IB capture rate?

Miner inbound parent, MC, here: for what it is worth I would love the commute to Minor and Maury-we walk past these schools nearly daily anyways. Also, I would keep my child in-bound if the schools were combined and while the information has not been formally shared with the Miner inbound community, many parents in the same situation I am in feel the same.

I have always hoped my kids would get the chance to go to Maury-but after reading this thread and hearing the opinions of Maury families during the DME meetings, my sentiments are changing. I am sad that this is how my neighbors talk about the children in their neighborhood and community. The entitlement is frankly outrageous and just snobbish. To the poster worried if you combine schools “Our homes won’t fetch top dollar”: let me remind you-this is about children and not home values!!!

Many if not most Miner families have to drive out of my neighborhood for school (which pointed out by another poster on this thread is tragic for in bound Maury, but acceptable for Miner inbound). If Miner got the community/family support that other schools receive, the school would be a much better place, but unfortunately it does not.
That being said: We as a community can be better! We can combine these children and create an inclusive, nurturing, and educational environment that is more equitable for our community.

Another parent here in-bounds for Miner, though my kids are now in HS: totally agree with this. I always thought Maury would have been the ideal school for our kids, and I put it first on the lottery form way back in 2010. We didn’t get in, of course. The way people are taking on here as if their precious school will be infected by Miner kids is gross. Miner and Maury are so close together that a cluster makes much more sense than Peabody/Watkins. Also, don’t pretend that Miner families would be inconvenienced by the “commute.” Lots of Miner families have a shorter walk to Maury than to Miner, my own family included. And for pretty much everyone else, it’s a toss-up.

Thank you, yep. Why are Maury parents declaring that Miner parents do not want to trek the extra few blocks to Maury for the upper grades. The entire discussion from the Maury community is disgusting.

Lol. Let me get this straight. You are IB for Miner, lotteried for Maury, didn’t get in, and refuse to send your kid to Miner. Yet somehow Maury parents are in the wrong for not wanting to send their kids to Miner?

My kids are at Miner. Nice try.

Great, you’re happy at Miner. What’s the problem then?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maury parent here. I too have been dismayed at some of the comments from parents in our school community. I am not excusing any of it, but I do want to remind people that the most outspoken are not always indicative of the community at large. They're just the loudest and most obnoxious.

I am not inherently opposed to the cluster. Frankly, I am awaiting some data, evidence and support that this is a good idea for BOTH Miner and Maury students. At this point, no one seems able to answer critical logistical questions that will have profound impacts on both communities. It's baffling that a recommendation is this close to being given to the Mayor without any of the details of the execution ironed out.

One of my main concerns is the huge increase in school populations that will result in approximately 8 classrooms per grade. No one seems to be talking about this. Both schools will completely lose the school community feel and opportunity to get to know families and children well through the years, which I believe is essential to school success and support. Children will often have to make entirely new friends year after year, because it is likely they will only know a few kids in their classes. This model would make our children's elementary school larger than a lot of high schools and even some small colleges.

Additional questions I believe both school communities need answers to in order to make informed opinions:

Does the current Capitol Hill Cluster school demonstrate the success desired? Why or why not and how is that model different?

How would Miner-Maury cluster school success be measured? Socio-economic and racial equity? Test scores? Achievement? Attendance? IB students enrolled? All of the above and more?

Where is the data on what impact the change to a cluster school would have on both Miner and Maury enrollment?

What impact will a cluster have on school funding?

What will happen to resources like Think Tank and PTA funded TAs currently at Maury? (recognizing that PTA funded resources like this are inherently unfair as well)

What will happen to Miner’s Title 1 status?

What impact would a combined cluster have on universal free school lunch or aftercare currently offered at Miner?

What are the physical building logistics? Neither school is currently equipped to fully accommodate just Pre-K students or just upper-grade students. What kind of timeline would be needed for renovations and reconfiguration? What would happen to the schools in their current state while those renovations are undertaken? Would kids be disrupted multiple times and moved out of the buildings during that process?

What does the Miner community have to say about this proposed change?

Will all classes be mixed ability levels or will there be any class leveling? Combining schools with such varying proficiency levels will have profound impacts on students on both ends of the spectrum. How do you plan to ensure students who are struggling do not fall even further behind and students who are achieving at or above grade level don’t stagnate?

Is this the only recommendation being made to address the Miner-specific concerns or are there other ideas being proposed?

So you’re “dismayed” at fellow parents, but then go on to list the exact same concerns everyone has been raising? Lol. This is very “Maury.”

Can you outline what about the questions regarding logistics of this arrangement or evidential support are offensive? I have spoken with Miner parents regarding some of the hurtful comments that have been made and have discussed the exact questions outlined above with those same parents. Those are not what they find offensive. They have the same questions! I don't think it's out of line to want some sort of details about such a disruptive proposal that will impact a school body of 800+ students. Are we supposed to simply accept it at face value because DCPS has recommended it?